


Cracked Gem

by Varewulf



Series: Gem Stories [1]
Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Angst, Changing POV, Comfort, F/F, Hanamaru is a good friend, Hurt, It works out eventually, Romance, Sad, Yuri, botched confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-27 23:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10819047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: Ruby refused to come out of her room. She had confessed to Yoshiko, and it hadn't gone well.





	1. Cracked Gem

**Author's Note:**

> This hurt to write, but I kinda wanted to see if I could do it. If I'm perfectly honest, I will probably do a follow-up to give this a happier ending. I'm too much of a softie to leave it like this. But for now, here's a sad RubyYoshi fic.

Ruby wasn't coming out of her room, and Dia was worried.

When Ruby hadn't shown up for practice yesterday, Dia had gone home afterwards prepared to give her sister an earful. Only to find her sobbing in her room.

Ruby was a delicate soul, and easily upset, but Dia had never seen anything like this.

She had held her little sister for a while, but Ruby had refused to tell her anything about what had happened. She had just clung to Dia and cried until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

And now Ruby was refusing to come out of her room. She had sounded outright furious when Dia had tried to force her to come down for breakfast and to go to school. It wasn't the first time Dia'd had a plush or two thrown at her, but there was something so raw about the anger Ruby had displayed.

The only way Dia could have gotten her out of there would have been to physically carry and drag her. She might be tough on Ruby at times, but she couldn't bring herself to go that far.

In the end Dia had relented and brought breakfast to Ruby's room. She had gotten Ruby to promise to eat, but Dia had to get going. It had helped to hear a faint 'thank you' from Ruby as she patted her head.

Reluctantly Dia left her sister alone as she headed to school. She was tempted to stay behind, but there were important things to see to. When Dia found out who or what had hurt Ruby so deeply, then... µ's help them.

\---

Ruby was never coming out of her room ever again. She hated Yoshiko.

Ruby had found the courage all on her own. She had gone to confess to Yoshiko. All on her own. Not even Hanamaru knew. Ruby had done her Rubesty. And Yoshiko hadn't believed her. Yoshiko had laughed! Stupid Yoshiko.

Next thing she knew, Ruby was in her room. She could barely remember how she had made it home. Apparently she had managed to grab all her stuff. Except her umbrella. Dia said she had brought that with her.

She squeezed her favourite plushies tight.

To convey how serious she was, Ruby had even called her Yohane! Yoshiko was a little weird, but Ruby liked that about her. Yoshiko's world seemed far more fantastical than the one of the rest of them were in. Ruby didn't always get it, but Yoshiko was really into it, in a way that made Ruby want to support her regardless. She had yearned to be part of that world...

But Yoshiko thought it was just a joke. Ruby didn't know how to deal with that. There wasn't anything she had managed to respond to that, so she had just ran away. With a broken heart. Stupid Yoshiko.

The breakfast tray Dia had left was still there, so Ruby dragged herself over to it. She had promised, after all. Everything tasted empty, but Ruby ate it anyway.

Ruby hated Yoshiko. How could she be so cruel? Except... Ruby also loved...

"Yoshiko-chan..." Tears were falling onto her food.

She had done her Rubesty, but it hadn't been enough. Stupid Ruby.

\---

Ruby hadn't shown up to class, and Yoshiko was having second thoughts.

Yesterday had been just a joke, right? It had to be. Ruby never would have called her Yohane if she was being serious, right? There's no way. She had just ran away because she was embarrassed at being found out, right? That sounded like something Ruby would do. There hadn't actually been tears in Ruby's eyes... right? There's no way someone like her would...

Zuramaru had put her up to it, right? Zuramaru liked pranks, right? Trying to make Yoshiko feel all embarrassed. Except Zuramaru hadn't said anything. Not at practice, not today. She didn't seem to know where Ruby had gone any more than the rest of them.

Maybe Zuramaru was just feigning ignorance. Still trying to make Yoshiko fall for the prank. Right? But would they have gone so far as have Ruby stay home from school just for a prank?

Yoshiko had fully intended to bring it up with Zuramaru today, but for some reason she hadn't managed to do it. When she came into class, Zuramaru had asked her whether she had heard anything from Ruby. At first Yoshiko thought that was confirmation it was just a prank. Why would Ruby talk to her first? But... Zuramaru had sounded sincerely worried. She didn't think Zuramaru was that good an actor.

If Ruby had been serious... Yoshiko's thoughts were interrupted as Dia came into the classroom during the first break.

"Hanamaru-san, Yoshiko-san, do either of you know if anything happened to Ruby yesterday?" Dia asked them.

"I don't know," Zuramaru replied first. "She said she had something to do before practice, and went off on her own, zura. I haven't seen her since." Damn, Zuramaru really sounded sincere.

"I-I haven't seen her either," Yoshiko lied. She wanted to ask why Ruby wasn't at school, but the words refused to come out.

"She won't come out of her room," Dia said with a sigh. "I was hoping you two would know why."

"Why? What's happened, zura?" Zuramaru asked. Yoshiko was dreading hearing the answer.

"I really don't know," Dia replied. "I can't get her to tell me about it. All she does is stay in bed and cry." Yoshiko felt like she'd just been stabbed in the heart.

"That's horrible, zura! Can I come over and see her?" Dia smiled at Zuramaru.

"I would appreciate it. Maybe she'll tell you what she won't tell me," Dia replied, and sighed again. "Even though I'm her sister... if you find out anything, let me know, okay? When I learn what's happened and who did it..." She left the rest of that sentence hanging, and up to the imagination. Yoshiko swallowed nervously as Dia left the room. Second period was about to start.

 _I love you, Yosh- Yohane!_  The words kept echoing in Yoshiko's mind. This angel might have fallen too far this time.


	2. A Good Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanamaru was going to see Ruby after school, but it hadn't escaped Hanamaru's notice that Yoshiko was acting extra strange today.

Ruby hadn't come to school today, and Hanamaru was concerned.

What Dia had told her seemed really bad, so now Hanamaru was waiting for school to be over so she could go see her.

However that was not the only thing bothering Hanamaru right now. Yoshiko was acting strange. Stranger than usual. Suspicious, almost.

Thinking back, she had been a little strange all day. Hanamaru had just written that off as fairly standard for Yoshiko though. She always had weird stuff on her mind. But ever since Dia stopped by, Yoshiko had gotten even stranger.

Quite suspicious. She knew Yoshiko pretty well, after all. Hamamaru had a suspicion she might know something about Ruby that she for some reason withheld from Dia. And from Hanamaru.

Had Ruby ran into Yoshiko yesterday when she had gone off on her own? Had Yoshiko said something to her? Then why wouldn't she tell us about it? The gods help her if Yoshiko had anything to do with why Ruby is hurt...

Hanamaru wondered why Ruby had gone off in the first place. She had asked at the time, but Ruby wouldn't say. _I can't tell you yet_ , she had said. Yet...

Maybe Ruby would be willing to tell her now. But if it was something that she absolutely refused to share with Dia, then maybe Hanamaru wouldn't have any more luck either. Ruby and Hanamaru were best friends, but Ruby adored her sister.

She still wanted to go see her, of course. Hopefully cheer her up a little, or at least keep her company for a while.

But before that, should she try talking to Yoshiko? If Hanamaru's suspicions were correct, then Yoshiko had already withheld something. Perhaps she won't be willing to give that up, but Hanamaru thought it worth trying.

When lunch break started, she turned towards Yoshiko's desk.

"Hey, Yoshiko-chan," she said as casually as she could, and Yoshiko visibly jumped. Definitely suspicious.

"Z-Zuramaru?" Yoshiko replied as she slowly turned to look at Hanamaru. Yeah, she hadn't attempted to correct anyone with 'it's Yohane' today. Very suspicious.

"Are you sure you don't know anything about Ruby-chan?" she asked. "Maybe you saw her yesterday, zura?" The mortified look on Yoshiko's face was so suspicious. Hanamaru was certain of it now.

"W-what are you- w-why would I have-"Yoshiko stuttered forth. "I d-didn't see her at all yesterday!" Yoshiko wasn't a very good liar.

"Then why are you panicking, zura?" Hanamaru asked very pointedly while she narrowed her eyes. Yoshiko was looking really pale.

"I-I'm n-not..." Yoshiko said, backing away in her chair. "F-fallen angels never p-panic!" She suddenly shouted, and before Hanamaru could react, Yoshiko had grabbed her bag and things and ran off. She didn't return for the rest of the day.

Very, very suspicious.

\---

Ruby was curled up and staring at the wall, wishing her aching heart would just stop. There was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly.

"Ruby-chan?" It was Hanamaru's voice. "Can I come in, zura?" Ruby thought it over. She wasn't really in the mood for company, but she was also tired of being alone.

"Mhm..." was all she said. She could hear the door open enough for Hanamaru to step inside, then close again. There was something comforting about hearing Hanamaru's footsteps approaching.

"Is it okay if I sit down, zura?" Hanamaru asked when she was by the bed. Ruby turned around and looked up at Hanamaru's gentle form. She nodded, and Hanamaru smiled at her as she sat on the bed.

Maybe she should have fallen in love with Hanamaru instead. Ruby could feel a sting in her heart as she thought that. Even she knew that wasn't how it worked.

"How are you doing?" Hanamaru asked with a gentleness that made Ruby want to cry again. She didn't think she had any more tears in her, though.

Ruby wriggled herself closer to Hanamaru, and her friend clearly picked up on what Ruby wanted. She helped Ruby move so she could rest her head in Hanamaru's lap. They would often do this when Ruby was really sad or upset. There weren't many things that comforted her more.

Hanamaru was a really good friend. Better than Ruby felt she currently deserved. Stupid Ruby. Such a child.

"Not good," Ruby muttered when she was settled in. Hanamaru started stroking Ruby's hair.

"Do you want to talk about what happened, zura?" she asked. Ruby shook her head as best she could. "Okay," was all Hanamaru said. They settled into a comfortable silence.

Ruby was feeling calmer having Hanamaru there, especially with how her hair was being stroked. It didn't take long before she drifted off, more tired than she was aware.

She didn't know how long she was out, but when she woke up again Hanamaru was still there. There was also a tray of food and drinks. Probably brought by Dia. Ruby turned her head to see that Hanamaru was nibbling on a pastry while leaning back a little. Maybe she didn't want any crumbs to land on Ruby.

Ruby slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was feeling a little better now. That was the best she had slept since... since... she felt her heart ache again.

"Did you sleep well, zura?" Hanamaru asked, and Ruby nodded.

"Thank you," Ruby said quietly.

"You should eat something," Hanamaru said. "And have something to drink. Dia already poured a mug for you." Ruby looked at Hanamaru, and seeing her kind smile made Ruby choke a little. Did she really deserve this?

She turned her attention to the tray. There were snacks there, but also some proper food. Ruby realised she was very hungry, and grabbed the bowl of rice. It was cold by now, but still good. She could have probably eaten anything right now.

"We're all really worried about you, zura," Hanamaru said when Ruby was through most of it. "Me, Dia..." There was a pause. "Yoshiko-chan..." Ruby flinched and nearly spat out her mouthful. She forced herself to swallow it, and broke into a coughing fit. Hanamaru patted her on the back until it passed.

Ruby grabbed her mug and gulped down the cold matcha. Hanamaru mercifully didn't say anything more until she was done. Ruby put the mug down, and stared down into her lap.

"Ruby-chan..." Hanamaru said softly. "I tried talking to Yoshiko-chan today, but she panicked and ran away, zura." Ruby felt like her wounds were opening again.

"You ran into her yesterday, didn't you, zura? She did something, didn't she?" Hanamaru spoke in a gentle and patient tone, but Ruby could tell her resolve was firm.

"... yes," Ruby replied. She could feel it all about to spill out of her. "S-she d-didn't believe m-me, Ha-Hanamaru-chan. She di-didn't b-believe me." She could feel Hanamaru embracing her, so Ruby turned to bury her face in Hanamaru's shoulder. She still had tears left in her after all.

"I-I t-told her I-I lo-loved h-her," Ruby blubbered. "B-but sh-she did... d-didn't beli-lieve me. She tho-thought I-I w-was joke... joking. S-she la-laughed!" Ruby clung tightly to Hanamaru, sobbing.

"I h-hate her..." was the last thing she managed to say, but it was entirely without conviction. Despite it all, she couldn't hate Yoshiko. Hanamaru squeezed her, and it wasn't long before Ruby exhausted herself to the point of falling asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't get around to reach the end of the story in this chapter, but at least Ruby got some comfort. Hanamaru is a very good friend. I'm just going to let this flow and see how long it takes me to wrap it up.


	3. Fallen Angel Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dia had learned about what happened, and decided to go pay Yoshiko a visit, while Yoshiko was trying to sort out the mess in her mind.

Dia was conflicted. She didn't like the idea that her little sister was in love at all. Ideally that wasn't supposed to happen until Ruby was at least 30.

She knew that was hypocritical, considering her own feelings towards Kanan and Mari, but this was her sweet little sister she was talking about. She was too innocent for these things!

Yet Hanamaru had told her all about it when Ruby had fallen asleep again. In truth Dia had had some suspicions. What else could wound a young girl so deeply but love? Dia had read the stories. She just hadn't wanted to face the possibility of Ruby loving someone... that way. And Yoshiko of all people!

Dia was furious at Yoshiko. Worse than Ruby falling in love in the first place, was the fact that Yoshiko had broken her heart.

She should have done something as soon as she noticed how Ruby seemed interested in, perhaps even fascinated by, Yoshiko's strange antics. Yohane? Fallen angels? Little demons? Dia still remembered that obscene PV they did back when it was just the six of them.

Normally Dia had nothing against Yoshiko. She found her a little endearing actually, though it was at times like having a second Mari. The way those two ended up on the same page a little too often was scary. But right now Yoshiko was the girl who hurt her little sister, which was unforgivable.

Yoshiko hadn't shown up to school today. Dia had made sure to check, and double-check, that she was nowhere on the premises. Considering what Hanamaru had told her happened yesterday, Dia wasn't surprised. And she didn't know how long the 'fallen angel' intended to stay away. However she did know where Yoshiko lived.

Maybe going to her home to fetch her was taking things a bit far. Maybe it was petty. But Yoshiko needed to take responsibility for her actions. At the very least apologise, and...

And... did Dia actually want the two of them to make up? What if Ruby still wanted...

Dia and Kanan had hurt Mari pretty deeply, even if they had told themselves it was for a good reason. Yet Mari came back to them... so it was possible that Ruby would still...

But if she could get Yoshiko to apologise, and turn Ruby down more properly, maybe her little sister could move on. Regardless, she had to get Yoshiko.

Yoshiko was faster than Dia though. That had already been demonstrated. If she ran... Dia didn't want to pull anyone else into this, but she might need the help of You or Kanan just to catch Yoshiko.

Dia sighed. The other Aquors members were already asking about Ruby, and when they learned Yoshiko was also gone they would doubtless get more worried. She decided to talk to Kanan after class. Consult her about whether she wanted to recruit more help.

Whatever the case, Dia would do what she needed to catch Yoshiko.

\---

Yoshiko knew she was in trouble, but she didn't know what to do about it.

After how she fled from Zuramaru yesterday, there was no way she could have gone back to school today. She didn't think she could have faced Zuramaru or Dia, and the rest of Aquors might have heard about it by now.

She pushed her computer to the side and banged her head on the desk. Why had it turned out like this?

Yoshiko thought she had been so clever. That there was no way Ruby could have actually fallen for her, and that the great Yohane had been so smart for figuring that out. _Heh, fallen._

So she had gotten really swept up in things, as usual. She had been so high on the idea of her own genius, and had... she had...

Clutching her head with both hands, she banged against the desk again. She really had to be cursed with the worst luck.

So it seems possible, even likely, that Ruby was sincere. Had she known... had Yoshiko been aware... she wouldn't have... done what she did. Ugh, just thinking about it in hindsight made her feel a little sick. Had anyone done that to her...

Yoshiko got up to get a glass of water. What would she have done, though? Employed her powers of darkness to suavely turn Ruby down? Let her know that this fallen angel can't be bound to anyone? That her wings need to be free, and committing herself to any one human would be a disservice to herself and the world? Found some way to say no without hurting Ruby?

Or would she have accepted Ruby's feelings, and taken her hand? Yoshiko suddenly felt very hot even thinking about that, so she quickly gulped down the glass of water and filled it back up.

She had been trying very hard to not think about her feelings for Ruby, whatever they might be. Ruby was small, and sweet, and she always seemed to enjoy Yoshiko being Yohane. She was always so supportive, even when she admitted that she didn't really get it. Come to think of it, Ruby had seemed interested in the idea of becoming one of Yohane's little demons.

Was Yoshiko just happy that someone unconditionally accepted her as Yohane, or... or did she also have feelings for Ruby? She wasn't sure.

She put the half-drunken glass of water on her desk, and fell onto her bed. She really wasn't sure. Was it even okay that someone like her got together with someone as pure as Ruby?

There was suddenly a knock at the door. Who could that be? Yoshiko sat up, and was about to get on her feet.

"Tsushima-san!" a familiar and terrifying voice called out loudly. It was Dia. And she was using Yoshiko's family name. She knew. "Open up, Tsushima-san! I'm here to take you in!"  _Take you in_? Was Dia the police now?

What was she to do? Yoshiko again cursed her bad luck for living on the tenth floor. It's not like she had actual wings so she could just jump off the balcony. And she doubted Dia would buy it if Yoshiko pretended to not be at home.

So what could she do? Using a sheet as a parachute was out. This wasn't a cartoon. Gah, the knocking wouldn't stop. It's not like she could tie sheets and clothes into a rope either... rope... she did have that rope her mother insisted she get in case of fire... no. If she lost her grip, that was it.

The nice lady two doors down! If she could get across the balconies, she could probably get Narita-san to let her in, and go out her door. It wouldn't give her much of a headstart on Dia, but it could be enough. It was certainly a safer option.

Yoshiko went with the plan. It was a little scary going across the balconies, but thankfully Narita-san was cooperative. When Yoshiko went out the door, Dia was still knocking, so Yoshiko sprinted for the stairs while she heard yelling behind her.

Why did she have to live this high up? This was a lot of stairs to take at this speed, but she was still certain she could do it better than Dia.

When she finally hit the first floor and stumbled out the door, she saw Kanan leaning against the tree outside.

"Hi there, Yoshiko-chan," Kanan said as she stepped forth. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go."

Yoshiko knew it was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably spent far too long looking through the episodes to see if I could find what Kanan would address Yoshiko as. I couldn't find it directly, but aside from Dia and Mari, Kanan seems to use -chan for the others.  
> This chapter kinda feels like filler considering Ruby doesn't even show up, but I still had fun writing it. Thinking it will probably just be one or two chapters more now. Heck, maybe you won't be reading this until I've wrapped up, so you already know how many chapters there are.


	4. Fearful Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having "apprehended" Yoshiko, Kanan and Dia bring her to the Kurosawa residence, where Ruby is waiting.

Kanan didn't have the full story. She only had Dia's take on it, plus a few words from Hanamaru. And Dia was livid.

Which Kanan could understand. Dia was very protective of Ruby, and Kanan would have probably felt similarly if she had a younger sister.

And she agreed that Ruby and Yoshiko needed to talk this through. Ruby wasn't doing well, and clearly neither was Yoshiko. Though the latter might be in part due to how Dia was laying into her.

Yoshiko hadn't said much. Maybe Dia couldn't pick up on it, but Kanan could clearly see the girl was feeling guilty and awful. What little she had said made it just seem like a misunderstanding gone horribly wrong, though Dia wouldn't hear it.

Kanan knew she had to intervene, or they weren't getting anywhere. It had already been 10 minutes they'd just been standing here, and people were looking at them.

"Dia," she said, cutting Dia off mid-sentence. "I think that's enough. We should get going. You wanted her to talk things through with Ruby-chan, right?" Yoshiko went from blushing of shame, to all the colour draining from her face. Kanan gently put an arm around her in case she was about to run. This needed to be resolved. She had spent too much time running from Mari to stand by and let that mistake happen to anyone else.

Dia looked a little annoyed at being interrupted, but mostly seemed really conflicted. She knew it had to be done, even if she didn't want to. Dia was really transparent most of the time, especially to Kanan.

"You're right," Dia said with a sigh, finally conceding. "But don't think we're done, Tsushima-san. You're going to apologise to Ruby, and then-"

"Let's get going then," Kanan said pointedly, interrupting Dia again. She knew exactly what Dia wanted to say, and she didn't feel it was any of Dia's business. Or anyone's besides Ruby and Yoshiko themselves. "Come along, Yoshiko-chan." Kanan was well aware that Dia needed to be reined in at times. For her own good as much as anyone else's.

Kanan started walking Yoshiko towards the Kurosawa residence. Yoshiko didn't put up much resistance.

Dia hung back for a few moments before she started walking after them. Kanan knew she had to have a chat with Dia while Yoshiko talked to Ruby. Both to apologise for her rudeness, and to explain to Dia that she really shouldn't say or do anything she might regret later.

\---

Ruby was thankful that Hanamaru had come over again today. She was less thrilled when she heard that Dia wanted to bring Yoshiko over.

She had really tried to talk them out of it, but Dia, Hanamaru, and Kanan all agreed that Ruby and Yoshiko needed to talk things through.

Deep down Ruby knew it too. Aqours wouldn't work without all nine of them, not to mention saving the friendship between Ruby, Hanamaru, and Yoshiko. And Ruby's feelings...

Right now she and Hanamaru were playing cards, to try to help Ruby calm down. But Ruby was scared.

Yoshiko had been so horrible. What if she was going to be horrible this time too? It had only been two days, and Ruby wasn't sure she was ready.

"Ha... Hanamaru-chan?" Ruby said in a small voice, and Hanamaru looked up from her cards. "Is this really going to be okay? W-what if..." Ruby couldn't get herself to finish. Hanamaru smiled reassuringly and put her hand of cards down.

"Don't worry, zura," she said, and reached over the table to squeeze Ruby's shaking hands. "Yoshiko-chan can be a little difficult, but I can't imagine she actually meant to hurt you, zura." Yet Ruby had been hurt.

"T-then..." Ruby started, feeling like her tears might start again. Hanamaru came around the table and hugged Ruby.

"I'm sure there's some sort of misunderstanding," Hanamaru said. "But if Yoshiko really is that cruel, the rest of us are here to support you, zura." Ruby nodded. She was still a little scared, but she needed to be strong right now.

Well... soon. It was okay to keep leaning on Hanamaru until Yoshiko arrived, right?

\---

The trip to the Kurosawa residence went by mostly in silence, which Yoshiko was thankful for.

Dia kept giving her angry looks, but at least there was no more yelling.

Yoshiko was grateful for Kanan's help, even if it didn't extend to letting Yoshiko run away and move to a different prefecture.

Once they arrived, Yoshiko was struck with the feeling that she really didn't want to go inside. Ruby was in there. Yoshiko didn't have the faintest idea what she could say to her. Besides 'I'm really sorry'.

She had gotten to rest up a bit on the bus and all, maybe she could make a run for it... though as if she read her mind, Kanan squeezed Yoshiko's arm gently. She wasn't going anywhere.

Feeling rather dejected, she was led inside. Kanan asked Dia to stay in the living area, and after a bit of grumbling she agreed. Kanan would be the one to deliver Yoshiko to her infernal fate.

Walking down the corridor to Ruby's room felt like being guided into purgatory. She certainly had to atone for her sins here. Kanan knocked on the door.

"Ruby-chan? Hanamaru-chan? I've brought Yoshiko-chan," Kanan said. Yoshiko flinched.

 _Zuramaru's here too?_ she thought. Of course she was. Kanan opened the door, and Yoshiko could hear voices inside.

"Do you want me to stay with you, zura?" It was Zuramaru. She couldn't hear Ruby's response, but there was movement, and not long after Zuramaru came out of the room. She gave Yoshiko a stern look.

"Now be nice, Yoshiko-chan," she said. Yoshiko wanted to reply with a comeback, but she couldn't get the words out. Zuramaru's expression softened a little, and she patted Yoshiko on the shoulder. "Good luck, zura," she added, before she and Kanan went back towards the living area.

Yoshiko was now alone outside Ruby's room. This was her last chance to run. But no, not at this point. She stepped into the door frame, and saw Ruby for the first time in two days. Two long days.

The look Ruby was giving her made it feel like someone was twisting a knife stuck in her. _She is afraid_ , Yoshiko thought. Ruby wasn't the only one, though. Yoshiko swallowed nervously and actually stepped into the room.

"H-hi, Ruby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be the last one then. Regardless of how long it becomes. Maybe I'll fall well short of the 1000 words mark, or maybe I'll go well over. We'll see tomorrow.  
> Side-note: Yoshiko doesn't address people by name a lot, so trying to find out what honorifics, if any, she uses for people was quite difficult. I don't have time to do a full re-watch right now. Based on the few mentions I was able to find, I decided to go with her not using honorifics.  
> (Though considering I don't do honorifics except for in dialogue anyway, it's not like it was a huge issue. I was mainly looking for how she would address Ruby.)


	5. Heated Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Yoshiko were alone together now, and there were things that needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I didn't feel the "only one person's POV" format would work for this part, and switching back and forth a lot with the --- markers might be too distracting, I decided to go for a more traditional "show a bit of both" approach here. I hope you're not too disappointed in me.

"H-hi Ruby," Yoshiko said nervously. Ruby briefly thought about how this was one of the few times she had seen Yoshiko in casual clothes. It was typically either the school uniform, the practice clothes, an idol outfit, or one of her fancy, stylish outfits that Ruby adored so much... no, this wasn't the time to think about that!

"Yoha-Yoshiko-ch-san," Ruby said. She wasn't sure how she wanted to address Yoshiko right now. Ruby still felt hurt, and a bit afraid. But there was also anger bubbling underneath, that made her want to hurt Yoshiko back. To make her understand how Ruby had felt.

Just seeing Yoshiko standing there, sheepish and uncomfortable, made Ruby feel an urge to hit Yoshiko where it would hurt. She was perhaps more scared of how she was feeling than she was of Yoshiko.

Hearing how Ruby stumbled over how to address her stung Yoshiko a little. It drove home even further just how much she had messed up. Could she really do this?

"S-should I close the door?" she asked. After a short pause Ruby nodded, so Yoshiko slowly closed the door before facing Ruby again.

"May I sit down?" she asked cautiously. Yoshiko was feeling so lost, and really didn't want to make things any worse.

"Mhm..." Ruby replied quietly. Yoshiko sat down across from her, and they both ended up staring the table. Ruby's and Hanamaru's cards were still lying on it.

Ruby had considered saying no, but having Yoshiko stand there would be worse than having her sit at the same table.

"Ruby, I..." Yoshiko started to say, but the rest of the words got caught in her throat. She wanted Ruby to understand how sorry she was, but it was so hard to even say it. Ruby looked up at her with an expression that made Yoshiko flinch.

 _Can't you even tell me?_ Ruby's eyes seemed to say. Yoshiko couldn't look into those eyes any longer, and quickly bowed her head. As if in submission. She decided to try again.

"I... I'm really sorry! I'm so sorry, Ruby! So very sorry... I was stupid. I didn't... I really didn't mean to hurt you," she blurted out, losing a bit of steam towards the end.

"But you did," Ruby said curtly. The tone of her voice made Yoshiko feel like she'd been slapped.

"You hurt me, Yoshiko... san," Ruby had nearly said -chan out of habit. Yoshiko didn't deserve that right now. "You laughed at me... why would you..." Ruby wondered if she was going to cry again, but she mostly felt the anger rising. Yoshiko looked up at her.

"I d-didn't-" she started to say, but Ruby cut her off.

"No," she said sharply, and got up. Ruby looked towards her bed. "I'd never felt worse in my life..." She looked back down at Yoshiko.

"E-even if you were going to t-turn me down, how could you laugh at me? How could... how could you?!" Ruby yelled, all of her frustration and pain spilling forth. Yoshiko flinched again.

They could hear Ruby all the way out in the living area, and Dia especially wanted to run over, but Kanan stopped her.

"I had worked so hard... to find the courage... to tell you how I feel," Ruby was still quite loud, and she could feel something trickling down her cheek. "I really gave it my all... I did my best..." She forgot her catchphrase this time. "And you just... you j-just..." Her voice cracked, and she collapsed back on the floor.

"W-why di-didn't you be-believe me..." was the last thing she said, the wind having gone out of her sails. Ruby covered her crying face with her hands.

Yoshiko felt like the full weight of her sin was placed upon her. Why hadn't she believed Ruby? Why had she been so sure at the time? For all her talk of being a fallen angel, she had never thought she could fall so far in such a way.

"Ruby..." she said cautiously, wondering if she was going to get interrupted again. But Ruby remained silent. Being honest was probably the only thing Yoshiko could do now.

"I don't know," she said to start with. "I don't know what made me... why I thought..." She swallowed as she could feel her chest tightening. "I-I-I thought there was n-no way you could actually be..." Was there something warm on her cheek? "I w-was so sure... but looking b-back at it now, I-I can only see h-how stupid I was." Was it okay to move closer to Ruby? Yoshiko wasn't really the huggy type, especially not compared to someone like Chika or You, but she desperately wanted to comfort Ruby if she could.

"I'm r-really sorry for what I d-did, Ruby," Yoshiko said as she decided to chance moving a little closer. "I s-shouldn't h-have..." She was sniffling now? "I sh-should have u-understood," Ah, how unsightly she surely looked.

Ruby lowered her hands so they no longer covered her eyes, and she could see Yoshiko slowly moving closer. Yoshiko froze when she realised Ruby could see her. Ruby smiled ever so slightly at seeing Yoshiko look so ridiculous. It was okay since her mouth was still hidden. She decided it wasn't necessary to move further back.

Yoshiko relaxed, but didn't keep moving closer.

"C-can you g-give m-me a second ch-chance?" Yoshiko was only half-sure where she was actually going with this. "I-is there a-any w-way I can s-start making t-this be-better again?" Was it really okay for her to ask such a thing?

Ruby lowered her hands and pulled her knees up to lean her head against.

"Yoshiko-chan," she said, more calmly than she had thought possible. Maybe because she was rather tired now. "Even though you hurt me, I still... I still love you," she confessed. "I'll accept your apology..." she took a deep breath. "On the condition that you tell me your reply, r-right here and now." Ruby hugged her knees tightly. "E-even if you t-turn me down, I-I'll forgive you s-so long as y-you do it properly..."

Yoshiko felt a bit shocked. That wasn't exactly what she had expected to hear. Ruby was braver than Yoshiko was, especially since she could see how Ruby had started trembling.

 _Does she expect me to turn her down? I guess I can't blame her for that_ , Yoshiko thought. She wasn't sure how to answer. She still wasn't sure whether or not she loved Ruby. She hadn't allowed herself to think about it before. But maybe it was okay.

"If..." she started, and Ruby braced herself for whatever was coming. "I-if you are truly okay with a screw-up like me, then I will swear by whatever dark powers you want me to that I will give you my be- my Ru-rubesty." That was really embarrassing to say, but just this once was okay. She held out her hand to Ruby, who just looked at it for several moments.

Having gotten her answer, Ruby's feelings were still a mess. _Can it really work?_ she asked herself, unaware that Yoshiko was thinking the same. Eventually, just before Yoshiko was starting to lose hope, Ruby reached out and touched her hand.

"Okay," Ruby said with a slight smile. "Thank you, Yohane."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. That's the story I wanted to tell. I am far too soft to not have things work out somehow in the end, and I hope you're not disappointed by that. Now I wonder what I should write next...


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